A Match Into Water
by houseisamazing
Summary: "Maura…you… you have stomach cancer." Jane and Maura struggle through Maura's battle with stomach cancer as some feelings come to light. It may be sad, but Rizzles is endgame. I promise! Based on "A Match Into Water" by Pierce The Veil.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hi everyone! This is my first Rizzles story, so I hope you guys like it! I know this is definitely angsty, but there will be plenty of Rizzles in the long run! This story is already finished, so I'll update with a new chapter everyday! I'd love to hear your input though!**

**This fic is based on the song A Match Into Water by Pierce The Veil. If you haven't heard it, check it out! I don't own that song or any of these characters, but ENJOY!**

* * *

"You're sure that you want to do this, Maur?" Jane asked the blond sitting in her hospital bed.

A kidney transplant. Maura couldn't believe that she was actually going through with it, but what choice did she have? All her life, she dreamt of finding her birth mother and this was the result. This turned out to be that dream. This was the sacrifice that she had to make to save her sister…or…half sister anyway. It was her nature. She didn't see any other way to go.

"I'm sure, Jane," Maura said, reaching for Jane's hand.

"Does it _have_ to be you?" Jane pleaded, squeezing her best friends hand.

"What other choice is there? I'm the only match; I'm the only chance of that young girl surviving. My sister. I've thought about every hypothesis and this is the only scenario that is one hundred percent effective. It has to be me, Jane. It has to."

Jane stood out of her chair by Maura's bedside and wrapped her best friend in a hug, burying he face in the honey blond hair that she loved so much.

"I'll be fine," Maura whispered in her ear.

"I promise."

Jane pulled back and studied the woman that she was holding. She couldn't help but think how brave and kind Maura was.

"_How did I get so lucky?_" she thought to herself.

A knock on the hospital room door startled both women out of their revere.

"Come in," Maura spoke softly.

Jane shifted back into her chair as Maura pulled the hospital blanket over her bare legs, suddenly self-conscious.

"Doctor Maura Isles," the doctor spoke, "It's been a long time."

"Hello, Doctor Davis. How have you been?" Maura asked, polite as ever.

"I've been well. How's it going down in that morgue all the time?"

"I wouldn't trade it for the world." Maura stated, turning to smile at Jane.

"Good to hear," the doctor interrupted. "So, I see you're here for a kidney transplant. I just wanted to let you know that I'll be performing the surgery myself and I need to ask you a few questions before we get you prepped and ready to go, okay?"

Maura nodded, giving him permission to continue.

"Are you allergic to any medications?"

"Not that I am aware of." Maura responded.

"Alright. Have you been feeling off at all lately; cramps, runny nose, etcetera? No symptom is too small to mention."

"I have been a bit light headed recently, but I attributed the symptoms to my diet, or lack there of. I've also had some stomach discomfort, but nothing serious."

Maura could see Jane staring at her from the corner of her eye.

"You never told me that, Maur." Jane whispered.

"It's nothing to worry about, Jane. Just a stomach bug," Maura reassured her.

"Alright," the doctor said, "Good to know. Thank you, Doctor Isles. A nurse will be in shortly to get you ready for surgery."

"Thank you, Doctor Davis. Nice to see you again," Maura smiled as the doctor left the room.

And before Maura knew it, the nurse was in her room explaining how her sedative would work. It was nothing she hadn't heard before, but she found herself growing more and more exhausted by each passing second. The last thing she remembered was Jane holding her hand.

"I'll be right here when you wake up."

* * *

Maura awoke hours later to whispered voices filling her hospital room.

"Are you telling me what I think you're telling me?" she heard Jane ask.

"Yes, detective. I'm sorry to have to tell you such terrible news, but I know what I saw. We ran the tests. Everything came back positive."

"No. Run them again. Doctors make mistakes, right? You have to run them again. I'm not about to tell my best friend that she… that she has…just… I don't care how much it costs, just run them again."

Maura heard the doctor whisper a reluctant, "okay" as his footsteps led to walk out of the room. As soon as she heard Jane sit down in the chair next to her, she opened her eyes. In seconds, Jane was right by her side.

"Maur! You're awake. Hi," Jane smiled at her and grabbed her hand.

"Hi. How did the surgery go? I feel a lot less pain than I anticipated," Maura asked.

"They didn't do the surgery, Maur. They couldn't. They…uh. They had a complication," Jane said, eyes on the floor.

There was no way she could look at Maura. How was she supposed to tell her best friend that—?

"What are you saying, Jane? What happened?" Maura demanded.

"It's nothing serious. I think the doctor just made a mistake. I told him to run the tests again and let us know what the results were. He said he'd be back soon. I told him that—"

"Jane." Maura cut her off. "Tell me the truth."

"Maura, please don't push this. Please just let the doctor come back, okay?"

"No. That is not all right. I feel the incision. I know that they at least started the surgery. What happened after that? Tell me."

Jane contemplated every option she had. She could run, but what good would that do? That would just hurt Maura more. She could refuse to tell her, but why would she do that? If she were in Maura's position, she would be the same way.

"Maura…you… you have stomach cancer."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: SO! Here's the second chapter! I hope you like it! Thank you to those who've reviewed already! I appreciate anything you have to say even if you want to tell me how much this story sucks...which has already happened! :p Well, ENJOY! **

* * *

"_Maura…you… you have stomach cancer."_

That was all that Jane could muster.

She watched Maura as she tried to process the news. She had never seen so many emotions flash across the woman's face at once. She was terrified, to be honest. What if Maura hated her now?

"That's why I had the doctors run more test," Jane tried to explain. "Because you couldn't… I mean…"

Jane had no idea what to say. The hurt in Maura's eyes was clearly evident, but she somehow couldn't get any tears out.

"I should have known," Maura whispered.

"What, Maur?" Jane asked, looking at her friend.

"This is all my fault. I should have known. How could I have been so stupid? I had all of the symptoms," Maura spoke a little louder, tears threatening to fall at any moment.

"Maura. Don't you dare blame yourself," Jane scolded her, standing from her position in the bedside chair, "You could not have known. No one could have. Maura…"

For some reason, the way Jane said her name, it sparked something and the tears began. Maura hid her face in her hands as sobs racked her body.

"Maura. Maura, it's okay. It'll be okay. I promise," Jane said, standing to grab Maura's hand.

"Move over."

Jane climbed up on the hospital bed and led Maura's head to lie on her chest, never letting go of her hand. Stroking her hair, Jane whispered comforting words in Maura's ear, trying to calm her down.

Never in a million years did Jane ever think that she would have to tell her best friend such a thing. Hell, she'd been shot for god's sake and they made it through together, right? They could brave this. Maura was a fighter. She would beat it. She had to.

Jane was startled out of her thoughts by a knock on the door.

"Maura, that's the doctor," Jane stated.

"He can come in," Maura said between sobs, "I need to know how bad it is."

Jane got up from the bed and went to go open the door. The doctor nodded in appreciation and gave her a look that she could quite place. Either way, it wasn't looking good.

"Doctor Isles, how are you feeling?" the doctor tried to sympathize, noticing dried tears on her cheeks.

"Can you just give me the results of the tests, doctor?" Maura uttered.

"Well," he began, "the tests were correct the first time. I assume the detective told you."

Maura nodded.

"During the surgery, we noticed some irregular tissue around your kidneys. I wanted to test it before going any further, as to not donate a damaged kidney. The tests came back positive for cancerous cells, but their home seems to be the stomach, not your kidneys. We would like to do an ultrasound to fully understand what we're dealing with here."

"Alright," was all Maura muttered, eyes set firmly on the floor.

"Okay. I'll grab a nurse and we'll get going. Detective, I'm going to have to ask you to leave—"

"NO!" Maura screamed, "I mean… no. I didn't mean to yell, but I want Jane to stay… Jane can stay."

"Alright," the doctor sighed, "as long as it's okay with you. I'll be right back."

Not even ten minutes later, the doctor returned with another nurse. He lifted Maura's gown and put a cold blue gel on her stomach. Maura shivered unexpectedly, but she couldn't tell if it was from the gel or just her nerves.

Either way, Jane was right back at her side, grabbing her hand.

Leaning down, Jane whispered in her ear.

"Whatever happens, we'll get through it."

Maura just stared at the ultrasound screen.

The doctor began his search and was instantly met with three white circles. He made notes on his clipboard, and continued on.

Twenty minutes later, the doctor packed up the machine and thanked the nurse, allowing her to leave.

"You don't need to tell me anything," Maura said.

"Unfortunately, I do, Doctor Isles."

"Wait," Jane interrupted, "Maur, what is he talking about?"

"I have three tumors lining the wall of my stomach, Jane." Maura explained, surprisingly calm.

"Yes," the doctor said, "but it looks like they are only in the first few stages. I think we could remove them with surgery. We caught it early. You'll still need a couple months of chemotherapy, but you have a very good chance, Doctor Isles."

"Thank you, Doctor. When can I go home?" Maura said, no emotion evident in the tone of her voice.

"I'll have a nurse come in and check your incision. After that, I ask that you make a date at the desk for the surgery to be done. The sooner the better, as you know. I'll have you stay here the night before the surgery to discuss chemotherapy options. Other than that, I suggest you take it easy. No work and no strenuous tasks. I suggest you rest as much as possible to let your body do its job. I'm going to start you on a few heavy medications and I would prefer it if you had someone monitoring your intake, just to make sure you're not mixing any medications and what not. Your prescriptions will be with the nurses up front when you schedule your surgery. Other than that, you can go home today. Detective, maybe you could help Doctor Isles get settled in?"

Jane nodded, attentive to every word the doctor said. She wouldn't let Maura down. She couldn't.

The doctor finished his speech and started to walk out of the room, Maura's eyes still glued to the tiled floor.

"Take care, Doctor Isles. I'll see you soon."

Maura didn't respond.

* * *

Two hours later, Jane pulled up in front of Maura's house. They made their way in, silently. It had been two hours since Maura had said a word and Jane was worried, but she didn't want to push. Yeah, she wanted to comfort her best friend, but she knew that Maura needed to think right now. When she was ready to talk, she would talk, and Jane would be there to listen.

She made her way over to the couch as Maura went to change, left with her own thoughts. Jane couldn't even begin to imagine what Maura was feeling and that terrified her. Jane had been in life or death situations a million times, but nothing compared to this. She loved Maura more than anything and to see her best friend like this was worse than any situation she had ever faced. She was angry and scared and had no idea what to do because, in this situation, she had to be Maura's rock. But how could she be there for Maura when she herself was on the verge of a breakdown?

"_No_," Jane thought, "_this is NOT about you. This is about Maura. You need to be there for her. She needs her best friend. You need your best friend. You can't lose her._"

"I can't lose her," Jane spoke, unable to stop the tears from escaping her eyelids.

"Jane?" Maura questioned, coming back into the room.

Jane quickly wiped the tears from her eyes and put on a brave face before Maura could see her.

"Yeah, Maur?"

"You were crying."

"No," Jane explained, "I wasn't. It's fine. Do you… uh… want to sit down or want to talk or—"

"No."

"No?"

"No, I don't want to talk," Maura said, harshly.

"Maura, I understand that you're feeling a hell of a lot of things right now, but don't you think it would be better to talk about it? You don't have to let it all build up. I'm here to listen," Jane tried to reason with her, grabbing her arm.

"Jane. I don't want to talk," Maura said, pulling her arm away, "I'm fine."

"You're fine? Maura, you were just diagnosed with cancer. You're not fine."

"Jane, I need you to leave," Maura choked out, on the verge of tears.

"Whoa, what? No way in hell am I leaving you right now, Maur. Just talk to me," Jane pleaded.

"I said leave, Jane."

"No," Jane said firmly, raising her voice, "I'm not leaving."

"Fine. Then I will. Goodbye," Maura's voice cracked and she ran toward the door and grabbed her jacket.

"Maura, wait—"

Jane was cut off by the front door slamming shut.

"_Did I just lose my best friend?"_


	3. Chapter 3

Jane knew Maura needed time, so she let her go.

Maura came back an hour later to find Jane on her couch, watching some documentary. Neither said a word as Maura sat next to Jane on the couch, pulling her feet up underneath her, both lost in their own thoughts.

"I'm sorry," Jane finally spoke, "I shouldn't have pushed."

"I'm sorry, too," Maura said, "I didn't mean to overreact."

"I just want you to know that I'm here if you want to talk."

"Thank you, Jane."

"Come here."

Jane pulled Maura into her side and rested her cheek on Maura's head, holding her as tight as she could.

"We'll get through this just like we have everything else, okay? I won't let anything happen to you. I promise."

"Jane," Maura suddenly paused.

Jane lifted her head to look Maura directly in the eyes.

"There is exactly a fifty percent chance that I'm going to recover and there is a fifty percent chance that I may not… What if I don't make it?"

"No." Jane stated. "You can't think like that, Maura. I know that there are a million things going on in your mind right now and I'm sure that you know tons about this disease, but you can't think like that. I told you, we're going to get through this, okay? No more negativity."

Maura just nodded and snuggled back into Jane's side, eventually falling asleep.

The minute Jane had felt Maura's breathing steady, she let the tears fall, and that was just the beginning of what was going to be a long road to recovery.

* * *

The next week had passed by way too slowly for both Maura and Jane.

Her doctor, for 'medical reasons', had signed Maura out of work, and that was making Jane's life a living hell. Everyone knew that something had to be wrong, so Jane got bombarded with questions and concerns each passing day.

When Friday rolled around, Jane just couldn't take it anymore.

See, Jane had been finding any and every excuse to stay at Maura's house since she got the diagnosis. To be honest, Jane didn't want to leave her alone. She didn't want to take her eyes off of Maura for one second because she was afraid that, if she did, Maura would be gone.

So Jane called out sick for the first time that Friday morning and decided to make the most of the weekend. She got up early and went shopping for all of Maura's favorite movies and snack foods, determined to make the weekend count for something.

When Maura awoke that morning, she found Jane in the kitchen making eggs, loads of movies on her coffee table, and tons of junk food that she didn't recall buying.

"Good morning, Jane," Maura greeted her.

"Hi, Maur," Jane smiled over her shoulder.

"What are you doing home?" Maura wondered, remembering that it indeed was a workday.

"I called out sick today," Jane explained, "I wanted to spend the weekend with you."

"Jane. I'm fine. You didn't have to miss work for me."

And for some reason, that struck a nerve.

Jane turned around and made her way to where Maura was standing.

"Yes, I do Maura," Jane said, raising her voice, "Why can't you understand that? Why don't you understand that this is a big deal?"

This anger had been growing for the past week and Jane knew that it had to be let out sometime. It wasn't anger toward Maura, but more of anger toward herself. Jane was angry that she was angry. She was angry that Maura was taking the news so well while she was breaking down. Every day became harder and harder to deal with and while she wanted to be there for Maura, Jane didn't even know if she could even be there for herself. She was hurting.

"You think I don't understand how seriously this is, Jane?" Maura screamed back, "Why do you care anyway? It's not your body. It's mine. I'm the one who has to go through all of this pain. I'm the one that has a chance of dying. Not you."

That hit Jane hard. Every emotion flashed across Maura's face as she was screaming. The pain, hurt, and fears that Jane saw immediately made her regret yelling and she began to break down.

Sobs racked her body as Jane covered her face to hide her tears.

"I care because you are my best friend, Maura." Jane said through her tears, "I love you and I couldn't bear the thought of losing you. I can't even begin to imagine the pain you are going through… what you're going to have to go through. Maura, I can't lose you… I… can't lose you."

"Oh, Jane," Maura said, pulling her best friend into her for a hug, "Jane I didn't know. I'm sorry."

"No," Jane said, pulling back to rest her forehead on Maura's. "This is not your fault. It's mine and I hate it, Maur. I hate this because you're in pain and there's nothing that I can do about it. Not only that, but I should be taking care of you, not breaking down like this. It's not right and I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I promise I'll try to be a better friend."

Seeing Jane like this broke Maura's heart. She raised her hand, wiping the tears from Jane's face.

"You are the best friend that I've ever had, Jane. I love you and you never have to try, okay? I'm not going anywhere," Maura reassured her, cupping her hand to hold Jane's cheek.

"Promise?"

"I promise," Maura said, pulling Jane back into her chest, "I will never leave you."


	4. Chapter 4

After a relaxing weekend watching movies and eating junk food, Monday morning rolled around. Jane and Maura were both dreading the day; Jane because she had to go back to work, and Maura because tomorrow was the day of her surgery.

Luckily, it was a slow day at work for Jane, so she came home early enough to drive Maura to the hospital for her overnight stay. She helped Maura pack a bag with all of her necessities, being that she was going to be in the hospital for about a week after the surgery. The longest week of Maura's life, she assumed.

"I think I have everything. Are you ready to go, Jane?" Maura asked.

"Yup. Let's get going."

* * *

They arrived at the hospital and Maura was immediately put into a room. She was instructed to change into her hospital gown and to rest until the doctor came in to see her.

Jane took her usually seat in the chair next to Maura's bed and watched as she tried to rest. She could tell by Maura's face that there was no way she was sleeping any time soon. Her brain was on overdrive and Jane could tell, even if she was pretending to sleep.

"Tell me," Jane said.

"Tell you what?" Maura responded, still pretending to sleep.

"Tell me what you're thinking."

Just as Maura was about to speak, the doctor knocked quietly on the hospital room door.

"Doctor Isles," he greeted, "How are you feeling?"

"Terrible, to be honest." Maura expressed.

"We will do everything we can," the doctor continued, "but right now I need to discuss tomorrow's surgery with you and your chemotherapy options."

Maura nodded, once again, so the doctor continued.

"Tomorrow's surgery is not one hundred percent guaranteed to remove all of the cancer in your body, as you know. We will do what we can to get the most of it, but there can always be complications. This surgery is also not risk free. There are several things that can go wrong in a surgery like this, which are all listed on this consent form that I have here for you to sign. Again, we will do everything we can to make sure that everything goes smoothly," The doctor finished, handing the clipboard over to Maura for her to sign.

She took a minute to read the whole piece of paper before signing her name on the bottom, listing Jane's number as her emergency contact.

"Next order of business is chemo," the doctor began after retrieving the clipboard. "My recommendation is about a four month program. You would come into the hospital two times a week for about two hours. That, if all goes well, should be enough to kill all of the cancer cells in your body. It will cause more pain and certain other ailments, but we'll put you on a couple different medications to help with the pain."

"Alright," Maura said, "That sounds fine."

"Any questions?" the doctor asked.

"Yes," Jane intervened, "Are there any other chemo options that will keep Maura pain free?"

"I'm afraid that's not really possible, Detective. The cancer has reached the point where pain is inevitable, but the sooner we get Doctor Isles into chemo, the faster we can start beating this."

"Okay," Jane said reluctantly.

"Well Doctor Isles, rest up. I will see you tomorrow morning at 9am to give you your sedative and we will then proceed with the surgery. Sleep well," Dr. Davis said, exiting the room.

About five minutes passed before Maura spoke again.

"Jane?"

"Yeah, Maur?" Jane questioned.

"You asked me what I was thinking before—"

"Maur, what is it?"

Maura paused, unable to decide the right words to say.

"I'm scared."

Without a word, Jane got up from her chair and crawled into the bed with Maura. It felt like déjà vu as Maura snuggled into Jane's side and started to cry. Jane just held her, running her hand through Maura's blond curls and kissing the side of her temple. That was all that she could do. She feared that, if she talked, she would lose it too and that couldn't happen. Right now Maura needed Jane to be a rock and that's what she was going to be.

Both women were silent for what felt like hours, just grateful to feel each other's presence, when Jane finally spoke.

"Maur?"

"Yes?"

"You are the most incredible person I have ever met. You're brilliant and you're funny and you're beautiful. You're so beautiful, Maur, and there's so many things that we still need to do, so everything is going to be fine. I know it, because you're a fighter. I know that you will fight this with everything you have and I'll be right by your side the whole time. I love you and we're going to get through this together, okay? Just remember that."

That was all Maura needed to hear to make her feel like she was the most important and loved person in the world, as she fell into a painless sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

9am arrived as Doctor Davis walked into Maura's room. He explained some things about the sedative and, pretty soon, Maura was passed out. At 9:30, she was wheeled into the operating room.

The surgery had taken about three hours, but it felt like three days to Jane. She hated hospitals in the first place and now she had to sit and wait in one. Going to the vending machine and pacing up and down the hallway just made the hours move slower. She was grateful that her mom had called to say she would make it over after her shift at the café. Jane didn't know if she'd be able to handle the pressure if her mom was there.

"Family of Maura Isles?" Jane heard being called from the waiting room.

"Right here," Jane said running to meet the nurse.

"How is she?"

"I think the doctor would like to talk to you…uh…Detective Rizzoli." The nurse said.

"Oh god, no. No. Tell me she's all right, please. She's not… No, right? No." Jane began to panic.

The thought of Maura dying on that operating table was just too much to take. The nurse put her hand on Jane's shoulder and spoke softly.

"I'll take you to Doctor Davis, alright?"

Jane nodded, trying her best not to cry.

"Go on in," the nurse said as they came to Doctor Davis' door, "he's waiting for you."

Jane nodded again, not trusting her words at the moment. She knocked lightly on the door, waiting for a reply.

"Come in," the doctor called.

"Detective."

"Doctor, just tell me Maura is all right… please," Jane begged.

"The surgery was successful and Doctor Isles is in recovery," the doctor explained.

"Oh, thank God. Why wouldn't the nurse tell me that? She had me worried sick," Jane groaned.

"I'm sorry, Detective. We didn't mean to scare you, but we did discover some things during surgery that I need to discuss with you."

"What kinds of things?"

"Well Doctor Isles' condition is further along that we originally thought, therefore it will be harder to get rid of altogether. We were able to remove the three tumors in her stomach, but there are several more growing at rapid rates. She'll need two more surgeries to remove all of the tissue that we can. In basic terms, Doctor Isles has a fifty fifty chance here. We're going to have to fight it with everything we've got."

Jane just stared at the floor. Taking in the doctor's words. It was worse than they thought. What was she going to do? And Maura…God. It was just becoming harder and harder to stay optimistic.

"When can I see her?" Jane finally spoke.

"She should be waking up sometime soon. I'll have the nurse take you to her. We'll do everything we can, Detective."

And for what felt like the hundredth time that day, Jane nodded again.

* * *

An hour later, Maura began to stir in her hospital bed.

"Jane?" she whispered.

Clearing her dry throat, Maura spoke a bit louder.

"Jane."

"Maur, I'm right here," Jane said, getting up from her bedside chair and grabbing Maura's hand.

"Glad you're finally awake, Sleeping Beauty," Jane joked and smiled.

She was glad though. It was an amazing feeling to see Maura awake and just… there.

Maura smiled at the comment.

"I'm so glad you're okay," Jane whispered, kissing Maura's temple.

"I'm fine," Maura said, squeezing Jane's hand, "But it hurts like a bitch."

Jane faked gasped and stepped back from Maura's bed.

"Maura Dorthea Isles, language!"

Maura tried her best to control her laughter. The pain was intense, but she couldn't stop. It was times like these that she was the most thankful person in the world to have a best friend like Jane.

"I can't thank you enough for being here with me," Maura said, suddenly becoming serious.

"You don't have to thank me, Maura. Ever. I'm with you through this whole thing, whether you like it or not." Jane smiled proudly.

Her face changed immediately as Doctor Davis' words from earlier ran through her mind.

"Maura, the doctor wanted to talk to me after your surgery."

"Oh no," Maura said, "What happened? Jane… tell me. Please."

"Well, nothing happened really. He just… he said that they removed the three tumors fine, but they found a couple more. You're gonna need two more surgeries to get rid of the rest of the cancer tissue."

"So, I have a fifty fifty chance is what you're telling me?" Maura asked.

"I…I guess." Jane said, staring at the floor.

"Okay."

"Okay?" Jane asked, shocked.

"Jane, I said that before. I knew that when I was diagnosed. I'm a doctor too, remember? Just because there is some more tissue doesn't mean that I'm going to stop fighting. I'm going to beat this. You and I. We're going to beat this."

"You're very brave," Jane stated, repeating Maura's words from a previous case.

"I have you. That's all I need. "

The next couple of weeks had passed without any incident. Maura's doctor had scheduled the last of her surgeries two weeks apart and Jane had basically moved in to Maura's guest room. She was thankful for the company, to be honest. Not being able to work upset Maura more than she thought it would. She loved what she did, but the next time she took a vacation Maura figured it would have been to some tropical island somewhere…But Jane!

Jane was always there when Maura needed her. When there wasn't a case, Jane would come home and bring Maura one of her favorite takeout foods. They spent the weekends together, watching movies on Maura's couch. When Sunday rolled around, the girls were forced to get up and get dressed for the Rizzoli family dinner. There was no skipping that. Angela wouldn't have it.

News spread through the precinct about Maura being sick, but Jane put a stop to the rumors right away. The last thing she needed was to hear people talking about Maura's health at work too. The only people who knew what was really going on were the girls' families. Maura strongly enforced that no one was to treat her any differently than they did before, so no one did. The worry never left anyone's head though. To the Rizzolis, Maura was family.

Once the last two surgeries were complete, the doctor let Maura know that they believed the tumors had been removed to their fullest extent. Now, it was the beginning of chemotherapy.

Jane leaned over and grabbed Maura's hand from where it laid in her lap.

"If you got through three surgeries, you're going to kick ass in chemo," Jane smiled.

The doctor nodded for Maura to make her way into the hospital room.

"You'll be here when I get out?" Maura turned to ask Jane.

"I promise."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Finally! Get ready for Rizzles! :D

P.S. Thank you SO much for all of your reviews and follows of this story! I just love you all so much and I promise I'll reply to every single review as soon as I can!

* * *

Between surgery recovery and chemo, Maura was tired all the time and she had lost almost fifteen pounds. Her body was working overtime to beat the disease and it was taking its toll. She was in pain, way more than she'd admit, but Jane could always tell.

One night, the pain was so bad, Maura was curled on the floor, sobbing. Every so often, she would grab the garbage next to her bed and vomit whatever an empty stomach had to offer.

Jane heard her from the guestroom and tried everything she could to help ease Maura's pain. She held her hair as she wretched, keeping Maura close to her body. Eventually, the pain became manageable and Maura fell asleep in Jane's arms.

This went on for weeks, and every time Jane became a little less strong. Seeing her best friend so much pain made Jane hate herself. There was nothing she could do and that tore her apart.

So Jane decided to pray.

Checking to make sure Maura was in a painless sleep, Jane slipped out of the bed and made her way to the guestroom. Closing the door quietly behind her, she kneeled at the foot of the bed and put her head in her hands.

"Hey, God," Jane began, "I know it's been a while… I'm not really sure what I'm doing, but I guess I'll just tell you what's been going on around here. I mean… I'm sure you know, but… Well, yeah. A couple months ago, Maura was diagnosed with cancer. Wow… That's really hard to say out loud. She is… Well she is my everything and I just don't…"

Jane trailed off, feeling all of her emotions coming to the surface. Becoming angry, she began again, raising her voice maybe a little too loud.

"I just don't understand why you would do this to her. She's done nothing wrong. She doesn't deserve this. God, she's _**MINE**_. You can't take her from me. Stay away from her. You're… You're a _traitor_. I'm supposed to sit here and believe that you're this almighty power, yet Maura's in pain every single night. I have to deal with that. Why would you make me do that? That's not love, that's not helping, that's you being sick. No one deserves what Maura is going through right now. No one…"

Jane paused again. Getting control of her anger, she began to sob.

"You know what's funny?" Jane laughed through her tears, "I love that woman more than any man I've ever been with. Maybe I was too scared to realize it or something, but I know it now. I will do anything to keep her with me. God, just don't take her… _Please_, don't take her."

And Jane finally broke down.

Tears started to flow freely, without any signs of stopping. Jane sat on her heels and let her back fall against the wall. Her whole body began to shake as she pulled her knees into her chest.

Up until this point, Jane tried to be as optimistic as possible. She felt like she owed Maura at least that, but seeing her so weak made Jane sick to her stomach. She was the protector, but there was nothing she could do.

Little did she know, the minute she got out of bed Maura woke up. She steadied her breathing so Jane thought that she was still asleep, but the minute Jane left the room, Maura's eyes opened. She heard Jane make her way into the guestroom and close the door. Disappointed that Jane left, Maura closed her eyes and tried to fall back asleep, that is, until she heard Jane talking to someone. Curious, she got out of the bed and tiptoed over to the guestroom door.

"Who could be calling Jane at this hour?" Maura thought, "Maybe they got a case."

Maura frowned at the thought of Jane leaving her to go to work.

Coming to a stop at the guestroom door, Maura put her hand on the doorknob. She stopped suddenly, hearing Jane's words clearly now.

"… She's _**MINE**_," Maura heard Jane say and quickly removed her hand from the doorknob.

She sounded angry.

"I shouldn't be listening to this," Maura thought to herself, "it's very rude of me."

But she just couldn't move away from that door. Quickly, Maura realized that Jane, in fact, was praying. She heard Jane beg and plead, but what hurt the most was hearing Jane's sobs. Maura heard Jane fall back against the wall and sob into her knees, uncontrollably. She knew that she shouldn't have been listening and she wasn't sure whether Jane was going to hate her or not, but she was willing to risk it. Taking a deep breath, Maura turned the doorknob and entered the room.

"Maura," Jane said, startled, "Are you okay? Are you in pain again? Is there anything I can do?"

Maura didn't say a word. She sat right next to Jane, back against the wall, and pulled Jane's head into her chest. Something about how caring and intimate that small gesture was struck Jane to her core and the breakdown began all over again. Jane sobbed into Maura's chest for what felt like hours, every now and then muttering a "sorry." The third time Jane mumbled that word aloud, Maura silenced her, putting a finger over her lips.

"Do you hear that?" Maura asked.

"Hear what?" Jane questioned back, confused.

Maura let go of Jane so they could see each other, face to face. Jane's eyes were puffy and bloodshot from all of her crying, but Maura had never seen anyone so beautiful. She ran her thumb over Jane's cheek, wiping the tears away to the best of her ability. Jane leaned into Maura's touch and covered Maura's hand with her own.

Maura seized the moment and grabbed Jane's hand, putting it on her chest, covering her heart. She leaned in to rest her forehead on Jane's.

"That," Maura stated, "Did you hear my heartbeat? I'm here, right now, and I'm not going anywhere. I'm yours, for a very very long time."

Jane looked up and her eyes widened at the last of Maura's words. How much did she hear?

"Maura, how much did you hear?" Jane asked, knowing that Maura knew exactly what she was talking about.

"Enough to tell you the we're absolutely going to make it and I am most definitely yours. Nothing, not even cancer, is going to stop that," Maura reassured her, squeezing her hand.

"Maur… Maura, are you sure?"

"I've never been more sure of anything in my life."

And that was all Jane needed to hear. As she pressed her lips against Maura's, nothing mattered anymore. The cancer went away, the pain subsided, and all that mattered were two best friends, turned potential lovers, feeling happiness for the first time in months.

Maura smiled into the kiss. She felt no pain at all for the first time since the chemo began. In that moment, she knew, she was going to beat this. She had Jane and that was all she needed.

"I love you, too," Maura said as she broke the kiss.

"Maura!" Jane feigned shock, "You listened to every word I said, didn't you? You little snoop!"

"I am not a snoop, I just happened to overhear you talking and came over out of concern for your wellbeing. That's all."

"And stood at the door, listening to me talk," Jane teased her.

"I… Yes, you could say that," Maura admitted, hoping Jane wouldn't be mad.

"Hey," Jane said, putting her knuckle under Maura's chin, forcing their eyes to meet, "What's with the sad face?"

"Are you angry with me because I intentionally listened to you praying?" Maura muttered.

"No! Maur, no. Not at all, I was just teasing you. You know why I'm not mad?"

"Why?"

"Because now I get to do this," Jane said before capturing Maura's lips with her own.

Wow. Maura could get used to this. She felt so safe and loved and just…perfect. She never wanted the feeling to end, but right as their make out session started getting heated, Maura felt a sharp pain shoot through her stomach.

"Ah," Maura grunted, pushing Jane away.

"Oh my God, Maura. I'm so sorry. Did I hurt you? Dammit."

"It's not you, Jane. Trust me," Maura tried to smile, "I'm sorry."

"You don't ever have to be sorry. Come on, let's go lay down and try to get some sleep. I have work in three hours."

Jane stood up and grabbed Maura's hand, pulling her to her feet.

"Thank you for being a snoop," Jane whispered in her ear.

Maura just smiled, feeling butterflies replace the sharp pain in her stomach.

They made their way to Maura's bedroom, hand in hand. Lying down, Maura snuggled into Jane's chest, fingers tracing patterns on her upper arm. Jane had never dreamt that she could be any happier, given the circumstances. She squeezed Maura closer to her body, kissing her temple, and snuggling into her honey blond hair.

"You smell good," Jane blurted out.

Maura giggled.

"Go to sleep, Jane." Maura playfully sighed.

"Oh, excuse me, Ms. Bossypants! Fine, I'll go to sleep, but not because you told me to," Jane paused, "…Alright, maybe because you told me to."

Ten minutes later, Jane spoke again, breaking the silence.

"Maura?" Jane asked into the dimly lit room.

"Yes?

"Can I ask you something?"

"Jane, you know you can. What is it?"

"Can I…uh… Can I see your scars?"

Maura was taken aback by Jane's question and rose off of her chest to stare at her. Leaning back on her heels, Maura tilted her head, trying to understand the reasoning behind Jane's sudden question.

"I'm sorry, I—" Jane began, interrupted by Maura pulling at her shirt.

She began unbuttoning her pajama top, obeying Jane's request. She had just admitted her love for this woman, so what was the harm? Jane had shown Maura her scars, so shouldn't Maura do the same?

Coming to the last button on her top, Maura slid it off of her arms, revealing her black lace bra. Her pale skin was like nothing Jane had ever seen. Now, Jane had seen Maura topless before, several times in fact, but this time seemed completely different; so emotionally intimate. Maura was opening herself up, showing Jane what had caused her so much pain, showing Jane the results of this disease that was trying to kill her. What she was left with were three scars, lining her stomach.

Sitting topless on the bed, Maura moved uncomfortably, becoming self-conscious as she noticed Jane staring. And Jane was staring, she'd admit it, but she wasn't staring out of disgust. She was staring out of pure love. Everything this woman had been through was evident from the scars on her stomach; her gorgeous, toned stomach. Jane didn't think it was possible, but she believed that, in that moment, she fell even more in love with Maura Isles.

"I'm just going to…um," Maura began, reaching for her top, "put this back—"

"NO!" Jane cut her off, a little louder than she intended, "Can I… Can I feel them?"

Maura took Jane's hand in her own and pulled it to rest on her stomach. As Jane traced the patterns of Maura's scars, she couldn't help but become teary eyed. This woman was fighting cancer. She was the strongest person Jane had ever known and that was never going to change.

Jane leaned down and pressed a kiss to all three scars. Rising up, she leaned over to meet Maura's lips with her own. A fourth kiss. Four kisses that Jane promised herself would represent commitment, trust, honesty, and love for the rest of her life.

"I still think you're beautiful," Jane whispered to her lips, eyes still closed from the kiss.

Maura opened her eyes as Jane's words hit her. Never had Maura been so in love with someone as she was in love with her, and Jane had just proved it. She grabbed Jane with all the passion she had and pressed a fierce, passionate kiss to her mouth.

"I love you," Maura said, pulling back, "I love you so much, Jane Rizzoli."

"I love you, Maura Isles. More than you could ever imagine. You're mine, remember?" Jane smiled, more than content with her life at the current moment.

Ten minutes later, the girls were fast asleep, wrapped in each other's arms, and Maura was still topless.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Happy Easter everyone! :) **

* * *

Weeks passed by and Maura became increasingly active. She was able to jog again without any pain and do yoga without feeling nauseous. A make out session with Jane every now and then definitely raised her heart rate more than once. By the time she knew it, it was the last week of chemotherapy.

"So, explain to me again what is happening today?" Jane asked Maura as they entered the hospital.

"I'm going to get my last chemotherapy treatment. Then, when I'm finished, the doctor is going to call us both in to his office and inform us of the current state of my condition and the progress that I have made. Since my treatments are almost over, more than seventy five percent of the cancerous tissues in my body should be gone. If they are and the treatment worked, there is a very high chance that I will be a cancer survivor. If not, we're going to have to discuss alternative treatment options."

Jane just nodded in response. All the cancer talk made her extremely uncomfortable and she sure as hell wasn't ready to hear that Maura needed to go through any more pain than she already had. She grabbed Maura's hand and gave it a quick squeeze before letting her make her way into the hospital room.

Watching her go, Jane sat in the hospitals waiting room left with her own thoughts. What was she going to do if the doctor said Maura was worse?

"_It always gets worse before it gets better, right? Isn't that the saying?"_ Jane thought to herself, _"We'll get through it. We're like the dream team," she smiled. "But if he says Maura is cancer free, what am I going to do? Something special. Not a party, she wouldn't like that. Movie night? Eh, too casual, we do that every weekend. I could cook her a good ole' fashioned Rizzoli dinner! Set the table all fancy and wear that little black dress that Ma bought me. Who knew that would come in handy? Ha!"_ Jane laughed to herself.

She had come up with the perfect plan, but she wasn't about to get her hopes up just yet. If there's anything she'd learned throughout this experience, it's that cancer was completely unpredictable.

"_Wait and see what the doctor says, Jane. Go from there,"_ she told herself.

Before she knew it, Maura was strutting back down the hallway, smiling at her.

"Well hey there, gorgeous." Jane joked in the deepest voice she could muster.

"Jane!" Maura slapped her shoulder.

"What? I called you gorgeous and I get slapped?!"

Maura just rolled her eyes in response.

"What did the doctor say?" Jane asked as her sarcasm was quickly replaced with concern.

"He said he would get us as soon as he grabbed something for a later appointment," Maura responded turning back to face the hallway, "There he is now. Come on."

They followed the doctor to his office, one they both knew the location of far too well. Making their way down the hallway, Maura slipped her hand into Jane's. She wasn't sure if she needed comfort for what was about to be said or if she just liked the feeling of Jane's hand in hers. Either way, Maura was thankful for the company.

Reaching the doctors office, the girls took their seats across from him, still hand in hand.

"Doctor Isles," the doctor began, "how have you been feeling since the chemotherapy began?"

"Well, the first couple of weeks were hell, to be frank," Maura began, "I was in pain all the time."

"That's to be expected," Doctor Davis cut in, "the chemotherapy's effect on your body would have taken its toll."

"It certainly did, but the last few weeks I've seemed to have gained my strength back. I can do certain tasks without any pain and I've stumbled upon a couple things to occupy my time," Maura tried her hardest not to smile as she shot a quick glance over at Jane.

"That's great news, then. Well, from what I have in my reports it looks like you are making great progress. I haven't received the results from your last treatment today, but I should have them by later tonight. When I get those, I can ultimately determine whether you're going to need any more treatments. For now, you seem to be in all right shape. I'll give you a call with the results tonight and let you know whether I'd like you to come back in or not. Does that sound good? Any questions?"

"No, Doctor," Maura responded, "Thank you."

"Not a problem, Doctor Isles. I'll speak to you tonight."

The girls exited the office and made their way to Jane's car.

"Maur, I'm gonna run back to the station to finish up some paperwork. I'll drop you off first and then I'll come by your place as soon as I'm finished, okay?"

"That's fine, Jane. I think I'm just going to finish the book I've been reading anyway."

"I'll make it over before the doctor calls you, okay? I promise I'll be there either way," Jane smiled at her.

"Thank you," Maura said, grabbing Jane's hand and placing it in her lap.

* * *

Jane kept her promise, arriving at Maura's around 6:30 that night. She had to admit, she was terrified for the doctor's call. She had no idea what to expect.

"Maur!" Jane called, searching the living room, "I'm home... I mean… I'm here. I'm here."

"_Nice one, Rizzoli,"_ Jane thought to herself.

"Jane! Hi," Maura exclaimed, running down the stairs, "I was upstairs doing yoga."

"Wow," Jane said, taking in her sweaty appearance, "I can tell."

Jane grabbed Maura by the hips and pulled the woman into her chest.

"You look pretty good all sweaty, Doctor Isles," Jane said in a mischievous voice.

"Do I?" Maura smiled with a flirtatious tone, "I wonder how you'd look."

And that was all it took for Jane to crash her lips into Maura's. She put her hand on the back of Maura's neck, pulling her as impossibly close as she could get. Tongues battled for dominance as Jane moved her hands under Maura's shirt.

"Bedroom," Maura muttered, pulling on the waistband of Jane's pants.

"Mmm. Whatever you say." Jane said in between kisses.

This had happened only once before. A make out session had turned dangerously heated and both women agreed that they were definitely ready to take the next step. Right as Maura had Jane pinned to the bed, a wave of nausea hit her and she ran to the bathroom. Needless to say, that night ended with Jane rubbing Maura's back, holding her hair, and feeling guilty for how much pain she was in.

That's why this time was going to be different. Maura was ready and she knew it. If she could do yoga, she could certainly have sex.

Maura switched their positions and pushed Jane on to the bed, straddling her. She kissed her collarbone, eager to hear Jane moan just a little bit louder. Hands roamed from Jane's pants to her blouse, as Maura tried to unbutton the garment as quickly as possible. Finally succeeding, she threw the shirt to the floor and marveled at Jane's incredible abs.

"You have extremely attractive musculature," Maura said, running her hands up and down Jane's stomach.

"And you," Jane said, flipping Maura onto the bed so she was on top, "have way too many clothes on."

Seconds after Jane began kissing her way down Maura's neck, a cell phone rang on the bedside table.

"Leave it," Jane mumbled in between kisses.

"Jane," Maura half moaned, "It could be the doctor. I have to answer it."

Maura found her way out from under Jane and crawled over to the table.

"Doctor Isles," Maura answered, not recognizing the caller's number.

"Doctor Isles, this is Doctor Davis. I've got your lab results back."

Maura starred at Jane with big eyes, and Jane knew exactly who was on the other end of the call. She grabbed Maura's hand in her own, waiting for a reaction.

"Go on," Maura encouraged.

"From what the results of your last treatment were today, I've got some good news. Well, more than good, I'd say. Congratulations, Doctor Isles, you're cancer free."

Maura was stunned to the point of silence. Jane could tell the minute the words left the doctors mouth, but by Maura's expression, she couldn't tell if the results were good or bad. By this time, Maura was off the bed, pacing back and forth, Jane's hand never leaving hers.

"I… what?" Maura managed.

Jane leaned over to try and hear what the doctor was saying on the other end of the phone. Her hand was squeezing Maura's so tight that she thought she'd break it.

"The treatment worked," the doctor began, "From what I can see here, all of the cancerous cells and tissues are gone. Now, it can always come back. I'm sure you know that, so you'll still have to continue on your medication for the next couple of months. We'll have a few follow up appointments from here on out, but other than that you're good to go."

"Thank… um. Thank you, Doctor. I'll make that follow up appointment right away," Maura said, still shocked by the news.

"Great. Congratulations again, Doctor Isles."

"Thank you. Take care."

The second Maura hung up the phone, Jane began studying her face to determine the news.

"Maur…" she began, unsure of her own emotions.

"Jane. Jane… I," Maura started.

"Hey," Jane cut her off, knowing where the conversation was going, "It's okay. We'll get through this. We'll talk to the doctor about getting you a better treatment and different medication and—"

"Jane…" Maura cut in, "I'm free. I…I'm cancer free."

Two seconds it took for the words to sink in, but the minute they did, Jane picked Maura up and twirled her around.

"Jane!" Maura yelped, laughing like a teenager in love.

"Maura," Jane said, setting Maura back on the ground, "I love you."

She grabbed Maura's face and kissed her. It was the most loving, gentle, perfect kiss that Maura could ever imagine. She was so in love with this woman, there was no turning back.

"I love you so much, I just… I can't believe it." Jane said, leaning her forehead on Maura's, "I'm so proud of you."

Maura pressed another kiss to Jane's lips, savoring her words.

"We have to celebrate and I know just the thing!" Jane said excitedly, jumping back from the intimate position they were in, "You go upstairs and do yoga or whatever it is you do up there. Take a shower. When you're done, the clothes I want you to wear will be laid out in the upstairs bedroom. I'll be downstairs so call for me when you're done getting dressed before coming downstairs."

"Jane. We don't have to do anything, really," Maura started.

"Yes, we do. You're worth it. Do it for me? Please?" Jane said, giving her best puppy dog face.

"Alright, alright. I'll do it for you," Maura smiled.

"Yes! Okay, call for me when you're done. I love you," Jane kissed her and ran out of the room, grabbing her shirt from the floor in the process.

"I love you too, Jane Rizzoli," Maura whispered to herself, "More than you probably know."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Here's a little Rizzles sexiness for you :p **

* * *

Almost two hours had passed when Maura was out of the shower and contemplating what Jane had picked out for her. It was one of her favorite dresses. Jane knew her so well. Still, she wondered why Jane had picked something so formal. What were they doing? And then Maura saw there, lying right next to the dress, was a blindfold.

"_And she's surprising me,"_ Maura thought.

"_Can I love her any more?"_

"Jane," Maura called down the stairs, "I'm ready."

Jane was up the stairs and at her side in less than a minute, taking in her appearance.

"Wow. You look beautiful," Jane said, stunned.

"Thank you," Maura blushed, "So do you. I told you that you'd look sexy in that dress," she smiled, mischievously.

"Don't tease me, woman," Jane said in a warning tone, "I may not be able to control myself."

"Now, would that be such a bad thing?" Maura tested.

"You just put that dress on, Maura. I'm not taking it off just yet," Jane groaned, "Now, come here. Let me put your blindfold on."

"Do I really need it?" Maura pouted, hoping it would work.

"You are so stubborn! Yes, you need it. You're going to love it, I promise." Jane smiled.

"I don't doubt it," Maura said grabbing Jane's hand.

Jane tied the blindfold around Maura's head and made sure that she couldn't see a thing. Leading Maura down the stairs, Jane became increasingly nervous. Was it too much? Was Maura going to like it? What if she didn't?

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Jane led Maura to the dining room, stopping at the entranceway.

"Ready?" Jane squeezed her hand.

"Completely," Maura smiled.

Jane removed the blindfold and Maura gasped.

Her dining room was lined with white Christmas lights that set a gentle glow of light on the room. On the table, there were fresh red roses laced together with white daisies, bunched up in a vase. The table was set for two with tons of food and two candles lit in the middle.

"Do you like it?" Jane asked, nervously.

"I… I love it. Jane… I love you." Maura said, turning to look at Jane.

"I love you, too," Jane smiled, "I made you a couple famous Rizzoli dishes. I hope you like them."

"Jane, I'm going to love them," Maura smiled, looking around the room one more time, "I can't believe you did all of this."

"Eh, I just left work a bit early and picked up a couple of things in case Doctor Davis really did say you were in the clear. I knew I had to do something for you to show you how proud I am and how much I love you. I also got ice cream in case it was bad news." Jane laughed, feeling a bit self-conscious, "Come on. Let's eat."

* * *

Dinner passed without any incidents. Halfway through the meal, Maura grabbed Jane's hand under the table in a silent thank you. The girls talked about work and what Maura had been missing, both agreeing that they couldn't wait until she got back. Jane shared stories about all the stupid things Dr. Pike had done while Maura explained how incompetent and arrogant he was. Jane just laughed. She loved how passionate Maura was when it came to her job. They were one in the same; Jane guessed that's why they became best friends in the first place.

"That was delicious, Jane. Thank you," Maura said as they were clearing the dining room table.

"Anything for you," Jane smiled, "I'm glad you liked it. Let's go wash these dishes and then we can have dessert."

Jane began to wash while Maura dried, deciding it would be quicker.

"I'm really glad you're okay, Maur," Jane said, quietly.

"Me too, Jane." Maura said with a quick smirk.

They scrubbed and dried in silence, mulling over dinner and the news they had just received. After five minutes, Jane couldn't take it and picked some bubbles off the top of the water. She picked them up in her hand and blew them right in Maura's face.

"JANE," Maura said, shocked, "this is my favorite dress. Why would you do that?"

"Come on, Maur! You've never had a water fight?" Jane questioned.

"No. Never. Why would anyone want to fight with water? That doesn't seem like an adequate form of fun."

"Here," Jane took Maura's hand and made her scoop up some bubbles, "Now throw them at me."

"No. That would be rude."

"Maura, come on. Just throw them on me."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. Just do it."

Maura took the bubbles and blew them right back at Jane, hitting her in the same spot.

"See!" Jane laughed, wiping her face, "Wasn't that fun?"

"Well, a little." Maura smiled.

"Ah, you shouldn't have said that," Jane smiled, playfully.

She grabbed a huge handful of bubbles and dumped them right on Maura's head. Maura retaliated by splashing Jane across her chest with water, so Jane grabbed the hose from the sink and sprayed Maura all down her front.

"You didn't!" Maura squealed.

"Oh, I did." Jane challenged.

"Come here!" Maura laughed as she sprinted toward Jane.

She chased Jane around the house, but Jane was just too fast. Ducking and sprinting, Jane missed every one of Maura's hands as they lunged for her dress.

"Missed me!" Jane yelled and laughed as she ran into a different room.

Maura finally cornered her in the guestroom, where all of Jane's stuff was conveniently located.

"I think the correct term is gotcha!" Maura joked and lunged to grab Jane's stomach.

She tickled Jane until they were both on the floor, soaking wet and hysterically laughing.

"I told you it was fun," Jane managed through her laughs.

"That was very fun. I've never done anything like that before," Maura confessed.

"Well now that you're stuck with me," Jane grabbed her hand, "there will be a lot more where that came from. Come on. Let's go clean up and have some dessert."

Jane began to get up off the floor when Maura pulled on her hand, dragging her back down.

"I think we can kill two birds with one stone," Maura said as she crashed her lips into Jane's.

"You are such a temptress! Who knew?" Jane laughed through their kisses.

Immediately, Maura was pulling Jane up to the bed, lips never detaching. Hands roamed, looking for the zippers to each other's dresses.

"I never thought that I'd be undressing you out of a dress," Maura whispered, kissing her way down Jane's neck.

"And I never thought that you'd be the guy in bed," Jane laughed, flipping Maura on her back, "My turn."

She finally reached the zipper on Maura's dress, pulling it down her back. Maura pulled the garment down her legs, throwing it to some corner of the bedroom. She moved her hands up Jane's back as Jane kissed her way down Maura's stomach, making sure to give every scar its own attention. As soon as Maura had mastered the zipper on Jane's dress, she pushed it down Jane's shoulder, desperate to have it removed.

Maura reveled as Jane hung over her in just her bra and underwear. She was gorgeous. Her raven curls hung around her face, as passion was evident in her eyes. Her skin was glowing like some goddess Maura had never seen before. Her legs ran for miles, just as toned as her gorgeous abs.

And there was Jane's scar from when she shot herself. Almost in the same spot as Maura's were. She ran her hands over the bumpy flesh, savoring how it felt. All Maura could think of was how brave Jane was and how proud she was of it.

"You're beautiful," Maura stated, leaning up to capture Jane's lips with her own, "I need you. Now."

"You have me," Jane smiled, "For the rest of your life."

* * *

"I am never leaving you," Jane panted, "Especially after that… Wow."

Maura laughed, scooting over to rest her head on Jane's chest.

"Good to know I have some kind of advantage over you. I agree, though. I've never had an org—"

"Really, Maur?!" Jane shouted, turning to look at her, "Let's not use _that_ word."

"What?" Maura giggled, feigning confusion, "It's completely natural to—"

"No," Jane cut her off, pretending to get out of the bed, "No way."

"Jane," Maura grabbed her arm, " Don't go. I'm sorry; it's just how my mind works. I can't help it."

"I wasn't actually going to leave, Maur," Jane giggled, pulling Maura back into her chest, "Your googlemouth is just one of the many reasons that I love you so much."

Maura just smiled, snuggling closer and intertwining her legs with Jane's. She was sure that she had never been so happy in her life as she was at that moment. If they could stay in bed forever, Maura was sure that she wouldn't mind. Everything was perfect.

"Jane," Maura moved so her head rested on her hand, staring at the side of her girlfriends face," I want you to move in with me."

"Wha… Uhm… Maura. Are you sure? That's a pretty big step. I mean… Are you sure?" Jane stuttered.

"You know me, Jane. I don't guess and I can't lie, so why wouldn't I be sure? I'm sure that I'm in love with you and I'm completely sure that I want to spend the rest of my life with you next to me, like this, every night. Most of your stuff is in the guest room anyway. It would just be a matter of selling your apartment and moving the rest of your stuff out of the guest room and into our bedroom."

"Our bedroom…" Jane mused out loud, letting Maura's words sink in.

"If you don't want to, I understand. I just… Lately, I can't imagine myself without you. I don't know how I would have beat this disease, I don't know how I would deal with the things you and I see everyday at work and… I have you. Right now. And I don't ever want that to change."

Jane just stared at Maura as she laid her feelings right on the table. She was pouring her heart out and Jane had never seen anything like it. She had never seen Maura so vulnerable, so honest. Jane felt…unstoppable, perfect. Maura Isles was in love with her and she was in love with Maura Isles and they were going to move in together. They were going to start a life together.

"Yes. Yes. One thousand percent, yes," Jane kissed her, "I would love to move in with you Maura Isles."

Maura's face lit up like a little kid on Christmas morning as she held her girlfriend's face in her hands.

"We're going to be a family," Maura whispered, "You, Jo, Bass, and I."

"You know that the moment Ma finds out, she's going to ask when she's getting grandchildren, right?" Jane laughed.

"We have time for that," Maura laughed, kissing Jane again, "We definitely have time for that."


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Wow! Guys! I am SO sorry! College kind of took over there for a minute and I couldn't upload at all! So here is the final chapter of this story! I hope you guys liked it! I'll get back to your reviews ASAP! :)

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Three months later, Maura returned to the hospital for her last follow up appointment, hand in hand with Jane.

Two months before, Jane had sold her apartment and moved into Maura's house with Jo and all. Nothing could have been more perfect.

Maura was getting stronger and stronger everyday and ecstatic to get back to work. When she arrived on her first day back, there was a little surprise party for her set up in the café. Everyone from Jane's team, to Frankie and Angela had come to welcome her back. Even Dr. Pike had made an appearance. Maura was overwhelmed by all of the love she had received, completely content with how her life was turning out. She had an amazing team, a gorgeous girlfriend, and the best job in the world.

Now, she was sitting in Doctor Davis' office, waiting for the results of the follow up tests he had ran.

"Maur, don't look so worried," Jane reassured her, "Everything is going to be fine."

"You can't possibly know that, Jane," Maura snapped.

"Maura," Jane said, pulling Maura's face to look at her, "Look at me. You are going to be fine. That doctor is going to walk in here and he's going to tell you that you survived cancer. He is going to tell you that this is all over. You did it, Maur. You did it and you'll never have to come back to this place again. I promise."

"And what if he says otherwise? What do we do then, Jane?" Maura whispered.

"Then we do what we did before and we fight back. I'll be right by your side, regardless. I love you and I'm not going to sit here and watch you be terrified over something that hasn't even happened yet," Jane explained.

"Thank you, Jane," Maura smiled, squeezing Jane's hand.

Just then, Doctor Davis made his way into the room, greeting the girls.

"So," he began " I've been over your test results more than once, Doctor Isles. You've been taking your medication as directed and exercising to build up your immune system, I assume?"

"Yes. I took the last of my medication last week and I exercise whenever I get the chance, but I guess you could take work into consideration."

"I can definitely tell. From what I see here, you are completely healthy. Congratulations, Doctor Isles, you are officially a cancer survivor."

Maura opened her mouth to say something, but closed it immediately, turning to look at Jane. Jane gave her a reassuring smile and squeezed her hand. They did it.

"Please, call me Maura," she managed to speak, "Thank you, Doctor. Thank you."

"Congratulations, Maura. Now, go! Get out of here! Go celebrate with your lovely detective!" he smiled.

"I will, Doctor," Maura said, returning the smile and pulling on Jane's hand as they left the office.

"Oh, Maur. I forgot to ask the doctor something," Jane lied as they walked down the hospital hallway, "I'll be right back."

Jane ran back to the office, knocking lightly on the doctor's door. She entered quietly, hearing a brief 'it's opened'.

"Detective," the doctor greeted, "What can I do for you?"

"I just wanted to personally thank you for everything you did for Maura," Jane said, "She… uh… she means a lot to me and it's just a great feeling to see her feel good again. So… thank you."

"You're welcome, Detective. I see the way you look at her. Go get your girl, go take her out, go do something to celebrate. Let me know when you two are back here in couple of years," the doctor hinted, smiling and waving Jane out of the room.

"Thank you," Jane whispered again, knowing exactly what the doctor was talking about.

"What did he tell you?" Maura asked, as Jane ran to catch up to her.

"He told me to take care of you," Jane smiled, grabbing her hand, "And I told him always."

"I love you," Maura whispered, leaning in by Jane's ear.

"I love you too," Jane smiled as they walked out of the hospital hand in hand, "We made it."

"We made it," Maura agreed, smiling at the love of her life.

And then the realization hit them that they had walked out the same exact way that they had come in; hand in hand, each with an overwhelming love for one another. A confession was the only thing that changed.

They had each other and not even cancer could break the love that they felt. Not even cancer could ruin the life they had planned. Not even cancer could break the bond that Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles shared; a bond that would last for the rest of their lives.


End file.
